In recent years, various compositions containing carotenoids have been proposed with focusing on the high functionalities of the carotenoids. Since a carotenoid is generally widely known as an insoluble ingredient, it is usually adopted in a form of an emulsion composition.
Specific examples of known emulsion compositions containing carotenoids include: a carotenoid-containing emulsion composition, an aqueous phase of which containing at least one water-soluble emulsifier, and an oil phase of which containing tocopherol and lecithin (e.g., see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2008-13751); a carotenoid dye solubilized liquid preparation for a food product in which a composition of a carotenoid dye for a food product and a polyglycerol fatty acid ester is microparticulated, and which has a transmittance of 99% or more at 660 nm in a case of having an absorbance of 1 at a maximum absorption wavelength (e.g., see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. H10-120933) in a visible range; and a carotenoid-containing composition obtained by emulsifying an oil phase, obtained by dissolving a carotenoid in an oil or a fat, in an aqueous phase containing a polyhydric alcohol in the presence of a polyglycerol fatty acid ester and lecithin, in which the oil phase has an average particle diameter of 100 nm or less (e.g., see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. H09-157159).